Darbara Singh’s family split between Congress, SAD

Shahkot: Even as Congress candidate Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia has been seeking votes at Shahkot in the name of his maternal uncle and former Jalandhar Akali MP Darbara Singh, the family remains politically polarised with half of the members with either party.While some are campaigning for Laddi, others are backing his rival SAD candidate Naib Singh Kohar. Darbara Singh’s wife Prabhjot Kaur, who had contested the Lok Sabha elections as SAD candidate in 1999, came on Congress stage in Laddi’s support on Thursday, so did her daughter Barinderpreet Kaur Powar, wife of Congress MLA Pargat Singh.However, Darbara Singh’s other daughter Parminder Pinki Pannu, former SAD councillor, is canvassing for Kohar. His third daughter Maninder Kaur Kariha aka Boskey Sandhu is the daughter-in-law of deceased Akali MLA Jatinder Singh Kariha. The fourth, too, is married in Akali family. Inderjeet Bawa is the daughter-in-law of former minister Tota Singh. The fifth Simran Sangha is daughter-in-law of Gurdev Kaur Sangha, former Chairman of Punjab State Women Commission.One Rupinder Kaur, married to an Army officer and settled abroad, is perhaps the only one of the six sisters not to be politically aligned.Darbara Singh was MLA from 1967-77, winning three times as Congress leader. He remained a deputy minister and then Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha from 1969-73. He left the Congress during Emergency and after remaining passive in politics for years turned out to be Akali Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar in 1996. He had to vacate the seat for former PM IK Gujral after which he was appointed as the Governor of Rajasthan. He has reportedly served both SAD and Congress, longer time in the Congress and reportedly chose to sport only white turban and not blue. Much elated at his 73-year-old aunt’s presence on stage, Laddi said: “I am happy that the elderly in my family trust me and supporting me”.